Chinamasa, Mupfumira meet to map civil servants bonus strategy

Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Patrick Chinamasa and his counterpart, Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare Minister Prisca Mupfumira, will meet within the next two weeks to discuss modalities of paying the 2016 civil servants' bonuses.

This was disclosed yesterday by Mupfumira who said she and Minister Chinamasa have to come up with a position regarding modalities of paying the 13th cheque.

"There is no position regarding the modalities of paying the bonuses yet but we will meet with Minister Chinamasa in the next two weeks to discuss the issue," she said.

Mupfumira however said efforts  were underway to mobilise funds to pay the bonuses.

"We're working on strategies to improve revenue inflows to Treasury to enable the Government to pay the bonuses," she said.

Minister Mupfumira said the Government was also working on measures to ensure payment of salaries is not delayed as well as reduce the wage bill.

Sources said given the challenges the Government is facing in mobilising resources to pay salaries, the payment of bonuses is likely to be staggered as was the case last year which saw some workers being paid the2015 bonuses mid this year.

In September, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Christopher Mushohwe  assured Government workers that they would receive their salaries, allowances and annual bonuses as usual.

Minister Chinamasa had earlier announced in the Mid-Term Fiscal Policy Review statement  that payment of civil servants' bonuses was going to be would be suspended for two years while their salaries and allowances would be reduced as part of measures to bring the economy back on track.